I loved Malaga Spain (Málaga - Wikipedia), maybe more so than Valencia. Malaga is much more than just the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. And I set out to discover that “much more.”
Probably because it was early summer, it seemed that during my 3 days Malaga had its share of cruise boat excursion groups. Everywhere I went, the castle, the Alcazaba, just walking through the old town, and the Picasso Museum, everywhere. Even the La Malagueta beach in front of my AirBnB apartment (Mediterranean Suite - Lofts for Rent in Málaga, Andalucía, Spain - Airbnb) seemed crowded, and I seemed to hear more English being spoken than usual for a Spanish town. Oh well, it’s all elements of and adds to my experiences.
I began my trip to Malaga Spain with planned, scheduled, paid-for activities in each of my 3 days. After the long 12 hour round trip to Gibraltar, I decided to take a closer look at my Malaga itinerary. Lucky for me, I was able to shuffle my busy tour days due to a tour cancelation. So, I made my Madrid trip a bit more relaxing.
The Gibraltar tour was very interesting, along with a tour of St. Michael’s Cave (Gibraltar Guided Day Trip with St. Michael's Cave 2024 - Malaga (viator.com)) and having a couple of pints of proper English beer at the Skull Pub ((20+) Facebook) and a small order of fish and chips at The Angry Friar (The Angry Friar pub & bar, Gibraltar - Restaurant reviews (restaurantguru.com)) in the town. However, I did not enjoy the long bus rides back and forth, and the number of people packed into the buses by the tour group. This trip has taught me to pay a little extra for the smaller or private tours, if they are available.
The views from Gibraltar across to North Africa (you can see the town of Tangiers in the pictures) are amazing. When I use my imagination, I can see the huge, British-led armada steaming through the straights toward the island of Malta to break the Italian-German blockade at the beginning of WWII (Siege of Malta (World War II) - Wikipedia), to bring the people the much-needed supplies (Operation Pedestal). I can also imagine Nelson’s ship, Victory, following the battle of Trafalgar, bringing his body to Gibraltar for the well-deserved ceremony to honor a fallen hero (Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar (historic-uk.com)).
The tour of St. Michael’s Cave (Cave | St Michael's Cave | Gibraltar (stmichaelscave.com)) was very interesting and visually exciting with the sound and light show. The lights were well placed and caused the stalactites and stalagmites of St. Michael’s Cave to sparkle as if they had diamonds and precious stones imbedded in them (see the pictures). One of the lighted areas of the caves actually looks like the figure of an angel. The constant, multi-colored light show, and background music definitely provides a memorable experience.
The monkeys on the rock were interesting. That’s about it. They are Barbary Macaques (Barbary macaques in Gibraltar - Wikipedia) and being wild animals, they are unpredictable. So, you don’t want to get too close to them and make sure you don’t have loose items or clothing they can steal. I have a picture here of one monkey having fun with a woman’s jacket.
A word of caution, Gibraltar has a lot of steep streets on the rock and in town, and a lot of stairs. Since most of the stairs are incredibly old, they are not always even and of equal height. The streets and walkways can be flat stones, asphalt, cement, small pebbles, dirt, gravel, uneven cobbles, and so on.
As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, ALWAYS wear good supportive hiking shoes and ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings and careful of where you are walking. The St. Michael’s Cave was beautiful, though a bit dark and damp. So, most of the walkways were not only uneven and of changing materials, the walkways were shadowed, and they were also damp to wet in places. ALWAYS be prepared for your adventures.
Before I leave my Gibraltar experience, don’t make the mistake I did. Bring your passport with you when you travel from Malaga Spain to Gibraltar UK. Usually border agents tend to frown on people without proof of citizenship. Well, I forgot mine and wasn’t allowed on the tour bus. So, still in Malaga, I had to hail a cab, go back to the AirBnB, get my passport then meet the tour bus outside of Malaga as it picked up additional people along the Costa del Sol. It cost me 50 euros for the taxi, and a very helpful driver. We all must pay for an education from time to time.
Following a good night’s sleep, I was looking forward to the Picasso birthplace and museum tour. A short walk to Plaza de la Merced (Plaza de la Merced - Wikipedia) to meet the private tour guide. This is a beautiful square with a park surrounded by residences, cafes, and shops. The park has numerous purple flowered Jacaranda trees encircling an obelisk monument to General Torrijos (José María de Torrijos y Uriarte - Wikipedia). In a corner of the park, across from his birthplace is a seated bronze statue of Pablo Picasso taking notes while resting on one of many park benches enjoying the shade of a Jacaranda.
After meeting the guide near the Picasso statue, he explained a bit about the history of Plaza de la Merced, being one of the largest squares in Malaga and a one-time marketplace. And then we walked around to a non-descript ground floor entrance to a building a short walk behind the Plaza, which is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, now a nice size museum (Picasso Birthplace Museum | Casa Natal Picasso Malaga | Andalucia.com) and (Museo Picasso Málaga - Wikipedia). The works of art – sketches, paintings, sculptures, and notebook entries – were fascinating. It was interesting to see the development of Picasso’s art to the eventual master of cubism (see the photos).
After the Picasso Museum tour, I decided to take advantage of the Hop on/Hop off bus tour (Malaga Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Guided Walk Option 2024 (viator.com)) which stopped near Plaza de la Merced. As always, this sightseeing tour gave me an excellent overview of the sights of Malaga – Plaza de Toros (the bullring); Alcazaba; the Cathedral; Playa Malagueta; and the Castillo de Gibralfaro. After I finished the loop on the bus, I decided to take a closer look at the Alcazaba and the Roman Theater.
The Alcazaba of Malaga Spain is an amazing fortress built during the Muslim occupation (Alcazaba of Málaga - Wikipedia). The current structure that I toured is less than half the size of the original fortress. The Alcazaba was originally connected by a long, walled corridor up the mountain to the Castillo de Gibralfaro. The interior of the Alcazaba is more garden than fortress with colorful flowers and trees throughout (see the pictures). Although not as high as the castle, you get some amazing views of Malaga from the highest walls of the Alcazaba.
After a quick refreshment at a bar near the Cathedral (a couple hundred yards from the Alcazaba entrance) I decided that it was beach time. So, I headed back to the AirBnB apartment and grabbing a towel, walked across the street to the sands of Playa Malagueta.
On my last day in Malaga, I decided to explore the Cathedral and the Castello de Gibralfaro. Since the castle is at the top of the hill and the Hop on/Hop off bus goes there, I Hopped-on. The castle is well restored and has several places where you can access the walls. Within the walls there are nice gardens, a small café, and a small museum displaying armaments, uniforms, and other items from the active years of the fortress. From the top of the walls, you get beautiful, bird’s eye views of Malaga. After some time at the fortress, I hopped on the next tour bus and Hopped-off near Plaza de la Merced and walked to the Cathedral.
Catedral de Málaga (Málaga Cathedral - Wikipedia), also called the Catedral de la Encarnacion (Cathedral of the Incarnation) Cultural visit – Catedral de Málaga (malagacatedral.com) is a short walk from the Alcazaba and the Roman Theater. There is a map on their website. For a self-guided tour of the Cathedral (Malaga Cathedral – Holy Church Cathedral Basilica of the Incarnation (malagacatedral.com)), a handheld “tour guide” in many different languages can be obtained as part of your small entrance fee (about 9 euros).
The Cathedral is large, with 8-10 small side altars each with multiple works of art, paintings, frescos, statues, and much more to see, so allow plenty of time, an hour or more (The Cathedral of Malaga or the Incarnation Cathedral - Province - Diputación de Málaga).
Make sure you enjoy the side yard of the Cathedral and on our tour go to the front of the Cathedral, which faces Plaza del Obispo, and look at the beautiful stone colors and architecture of this side of the Cathedral (Guide to Malaga Cathedral - GuideToMalaga.com). This side has more of a baroque and renaissance influence than the older gothic areas of the Cathedral. The multi-century construction history of this building, built over a destroyed mosque, is long and fascinating. Construction began during the height of the gothic period and continued into the baroque and renaissance periods.
Back to the beach for a couple of hours. Dinner at a pizza place on the beach, Pizza Pino ((20+) Facebook). Back to the AirBnB to pack.
Early morning checkout and walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to the Maria Zambrano Train Station.
As I head north from Malaga’s Maria Zambrano Train station to the Madrid Atocha station, the farms and vineyards and fruit trees race by in the opposite direction. Just a blur but enough to enjoy this rolling countryside, which, if I use my imagination, looks a bit like the rolling hills through the farm country of Kansas.
All the crops, from trees to grains to vines in neat, evenly spaced, well-tended rows. Small, white-washed villages a interspersed between the farms, vineyards, and orchards.
A few hours later, after changing trains in Cordoba, I arrived in Madrid, at the Atocha Train Station and studied my map to figure out my check-in location and my AirBnB unit location (in this case, not in the same location).
So, the last leg of my journey begins…
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